Is it Just Me...or has Pizza..???

Is it just me, or has it become really difficult to find a good take out Pizza these days?

It's kind of like donuts; everyone has figured out 50,000 ways to screw up a perfectly good donut. Pizza seems the same way anymore.

I can remember when Dominoe's Pizza used to absolutely ROCK! Now, I can't even stand the smell of one, let alone eat one. Black Jack is another one. Papa John's used to be good for a while when they first started, but now they aren't all that great anymore either. Eons ago Little Ceasar's used to be pretty great also, but now it's like eating a production line statistic.

Papa Murphy's is pretty good, but you have to cook those. And, sometimes you just want to get a hot, crispy, ready to eat pizza.

I dunno, but it seems like the big pizza chains have gone way downhill in the past decade or so. Oh, I'm sure there's some mom & pop places which still make great pizza (and if you've got one, support them with your business). And yeah, I suppose you can make your own pizza, but sometimes it's just nice not to have to do anything but answer the door, pay the bill...and MOW. (though we're too far in the country for that, but I'll gladly pick one up in town).

And then there's the whole "Flavored Crust / Stuffed Crust / Whatever Crust", or the goofball ingredients. I mean, who really wants a "BBQ Chicken Pizza, or a Spicy Hot Wings Pizza"?

What ever happened to a good ol' pizza pie - hand tossed, nice marinara, some good mozzarella cheese, (with maybe some sausage or pepperoni) baked to perfection with a golden crust??? You know, the kind of pizza where you could practically eat a whole one all by yourself and still want more, they were just that good kind???

I honestly think it has to do with two things...crust and sauce. For one thing, it seems nearly impossible to find a pizza place which really does a pizza crust truly right. And secondly, nobody knows how to make a good marinara sauce anymore (it all tastes like chemicals). To me, if you can't get those two things right on a pizza, it doesn't matter what you pile on top of it...it's not going to be good.

When I was a little kid there used to be this place in a really bad part of town. It was just a little hole in the wall joint. The neon sign out front just said "Pies' (I think the part which said 'Pizza' had been broken out by vandals years before). It was a seedy joint with a bunch of gangsters inside, but man did they make good pizza! It was perfect every time. They had any topping you wanted just so long as long as it was mozzarella cheese (with some provolone mixed in).

What happened to good pizza?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

It's estimated that 85% of pizza in the US use the same mozzarella cheese brand. Many times this comes pre shredded with an anti caking agent sprinkled on the strands. When it comes to cheese, freshly shredded is a very important aspect when melting comes into play. The quality of the cheese is an obvious variable as well.

What happened to good pizza?
I don't know.
Everything I get nowadays has either a severely undercooked crust , an overdone crust or way too much greasy cheese.

Maybe I am hard to please, but i remember far more good pizzas in the past than there are today.

To be honest, I don't think good pizza delivers well. None of the places I would consider having good pizza delivers pizza. I tend to prefer Neapolitan style pies. They don't travel well.

All the pizza chains are hot garbage nowadays. I can't eat Dominoes, Papa Johns, etc. My body just rejects it. I think you have to be under 25 to metabolize that garbage.

I've wondered why there haven't been any higher quality pizza chains. Kind of like what Chipotle did to Taco Bell.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Yep, at most places virtually all of the toppings are mass produced and have all sorts of artificial ingredients in them.

a reply to: butcherguy

Exactly, nobody knows how to properly cook a crust. And even fewer still can make the dough. Almost always under cooked.

a reply to: butcherguy

Good ingredients are just as important as execution throughout cooking.

Very simple things that used to be done the right way have been exchanged for par done everything in an effort to streamline, make easier, and provide consistency.

Most places use frozen dough, pre shredded cheese, and canned sauce.

If you make your own dough, proof it, hand toss it, put made the day before sauce on it, and freshly shredded cheese, you'll be left with a far superior pizza.

a reply to: Edumakated

Oh, I don't know. Domino's for example used to make excellent pizza and it delivered well. Now, you can't even pick up your pizza straight out of the oven and have it be good. They're awful! They don't even smell good anymore.

Breakfast Pizza????

Dessert Pizza??

Fruit Pizza????

Seriously, what is the matter with people???

What about sticking with just plain ol'...PIZZA?

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

For chain pizza, the only really good slice I've had recently is Mellow Mushroom.

My general rule of thumb is to find hole in the wall Italian restaurants or Italian pizzerias. The less appealing the atmosphere, the better the product in my general experience, weirdest formula for good results ever lol.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

There is a local Italian club, the Victor Immanuel II Society that still has good pizza. It is a Sicilian style with thick crust that is cooked through and only comes one way, sauce and cheese. They serve it as a side to their meals, but you can get it to go.
My favorite meal there is chicken and salad. It is a half of a baked chicken with salad beside it on the plate. The 'salad' is just iceberg lettuce with a healthy drenching of vinagrette dressing. The dressing soaks into the chicken and it is a true delight.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Not a weird formula at all! In fact, it's an excellent formula!

Word of mouth is far better advertising, and all the money for the fancy lights and advertisements goes into the pizza.

I think you might be too far west for this chain, but check out Mellow Mushroom. I think they are the best pizza chain around by far! It's a little pricey but for the quality, I think it is great. It started around Atlanta and has spread over much of the east coast (maybe not so much New England, IDK cloudfare is broken now so can't search).

Their pizza isn't neopolitan, it's a little thicker but they have amazing crust, sauce, cheese and toppings, so even though it's not a super thin crust, it's still great. Who knows maybe they have thin crust now, it's been many years since I've been there.

But I agree with you on pizza in general, even the best places, mom & pops, something seems to have changed and I think it is the cheese now that I think of it. The pizza doesn't reheat like it used to, it's like it is a lower quality cheese which makes sense (literally) if one company is supplying so many businesses as they control the market.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Good pizza is out there, but you're not going to find it at any chain pizza joint. Here in Rochester, NY there are at least half a dozen superior local joints, a few owned by Italian families, that make great pizza, mainly due to their outstanding crust, sauce, with some utilizing a brick oven.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Breakfast Pizza????

Dessert Pizza??

Fruit Pizza????

Seriously, what is the matter with people???

What about sticking with just plain ol'...PIZZA?

Have you ever considered it is you? I know many people who's taste has changed over time, mine included. I like things I used to hate (made me gag) and hate things I used to like. I know a number of people who say things just don't taste the same but they also say this about a lot of things that really haven't changed like home made stuff with basic ingredients.

Have you lost any ability to smell or lost any sections/ranges of taste - or have you become more sensitive to certain tastes like spicey, sweet, sour, tart, salty, etc?

a reply to: shawmanfromny

I don't miss the winters of upstate New York, but boy do I miss the food 🤤

In Utica, there is a popular dish called tomato pie. It's an airy bread more than a traditional pizza crust topped with wonderful sauce and grated Romano or Parmesan cheese. Typically eaten cold or room temp.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk


If you ever get a chance, try NYPD pizza. Living in AZ I couldn’t find good pizza anywhere, til I found that place. It’s like going back in time. They have them in PA, Orlando, not sure where you are!

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
I dunno, but it seems like the big pizza chains have gone way downhill in the past decade or so.

This is like complaining that McDonalds or Burger King just can't make a good burger. Stop eating that ****.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
I dunno, but it seems like the big pizza chains have gone way downhill in the past decade or so.

This is like complaining that McDonalds or Burger King just can't make a good burger. Stop eating that ****.

Your point has validity Augustus... But have some mercy on us. You live in one of the epicenters of great pizza. Some of us aren't as lucky, and we have needs too. Needs like consuming empty calories, often the daily dose in one sitting. We only feel shame from it because it's not of the highest quality.

a reply to: CriticalStinker


No mercy. This is the Cobra Kai of pizza admonishments; stop eating that crap and those chains will go away. Then you can support your local establishment and get better pizza.